From de Gaulle's Appeal to the Manouchian Group's sacrifice, discover the international resistance that fought for Paris. This walk honors the foreign-born fighters of the FTP-MOI alongside French resistants, culminating at the Manouchian mural in the 20th arrondissement.
This route has 13 stops.
Missak & Mélinée Manouchian Plaque: Start at the modest home of Missak and Mélinée Manouchian. The Armenian poet led the FTP-MOI resistance group while living here. His famous last letter to Mélinée remains one of the most moving documents of the Resistance.
Paris Liberation Museum – General Leclerc & Jean Moulin Museum: Paris Liberation Museum at Denfert-Rochereau, built above the former Liberation command posts. Descend into Colonel Rol-Tanguy's actual underground bunker where the August 1944 insurrection was coordinated.
18 June 1940 Square: Place du 18-Juin-1940, named in honor of General de Gaulle's historic Appeal of June 18, 1940—the birth of Free France and organized resistance.
Raoul Minot: The Printemps department store where Raoul Minot, the "ghost photographer", worked as a handkerchief salesman. Between 1940-1942, he secretly photographed over 700 images of occupied Paris with a Kodak Brownie, developing them in the store's lab. Denounced in 1942, he was deported to Mauthausen and Buchenwald, dying just days after liberation in April 1945. His remarkable photographic archive remains a unique testimony of daily life under Occupation.
Prefecture of Police of Paris: Prefecture de Police where the Paris insurrection was triggered on August 19, 1944. Plaques honor resistance police officers who seized the building, the first major act of the Liberation.
City Hall – Liberation Esplanade: Hôtel de Ville occupied by resistance fighters in August 1944, becoming the powerful symbol of Paris Liberation where de Gaulle declared Paris free.
Red Poster - Clandestine House: A clandestine meeting place of the FTP-MOI fighters. Polish Jews, Italians, Spaniards, and Armenians met here to plan sabotage operations—risking their lives for a country that was not their birthplace.
Olga Bancic Square: Square honoring Olga Bancic (1912–1944), Romanian Jewish resistance fighter and the only woman among the 23 "Affiche Rouge" members. She transported weapons and served as liaison. Deported to Germany, she was beheaded in Stuttgart.
Marcel Rajman Plaque: Plaque commemorating Marcel Rajman, who lived here with his family. This young Polish Jewish immigrant worked as a furrier before joining the armed resistance at age 19.
Marcel Rajman Square: Square honoring Marcel Rajman (1923–1944), who participated in numerous armed actions including the assassination of SS officer Julius Ritter. Featured on the "Affiche Rouge", he was executed at Mont-Valérien at just 21.
FTP-MOI Cenotaph - Père-Lachaise: Cenotaph in Père-Lachaise Cemetery honoring the FTP-MOI fighters. The bodies of those executed at Mont-Valérien were never returned to their families—this memorial stands where their graves should be.
Manouchian Group Street: Street named in honor of the Groupe Manouchian. A plaque commemorates these foreign-born fighters who gave their lives for France's liberation—recognition that the Resistance was truly international.